Home is Where the Heart is
by xHellxButterflyx
Summary: Where was your home?  Dracule "Hawk-Eyes" MihawkxYou/Reader


I do not own One Piece.

* * *

You were walking on water in the middle of the ocean.

Well, you weren't walking on water, per se. You were actually walking on air. You had eaten the Kaze Kaze no Mi (Wind-Wind Fruit), an Akuma no Mi (Devil/Cursed Fruit) of the Logia (Nature System) class that allowed you to control and manipulate the wind.

You were lost, honestly. You had been running from some pirates and escaped into the air, only to find yourself in the middle of nowhere when you tried to land and find solid ground. You never did have a good sense of direction.

Your bare feet skimmed the top of the water as your white knee-length sundress fluttered around you. You finally saw a black dot in the distance. Tired and hungry, you let yourself be lifted into the air and was blown towards the island, riding the wind.

You weren't really a pirate. You were more of a nomad. You lost your parents at a young age and no one wanted you, fearing your Kaze Kaze no Mi powers. You did odd jobs now and then, but usually stole from pirates to make money and get by. You moved from place to place a lot, not really feeling at home in one spot for a long time. Maybe it was your Kaze Kaze no Mi powers that made you as restless as the wind, always seeking freedom and the open sky.

When you reached the dot, you found yourself on an island. It was dark and gloomy, not at all welcoming. In the distance you could see strange hills that curved near the end (like the hills in The Nightmare Before Christmas) and ruins of buildings. In the muggy forest, you heard the screeches of wild animals and clanging of metal, as if there was a swordfight going on.

Deciding to play it safe, you jumped into the air and soared above the forest getting overhead view of the island. It seemed like the whole place was as dreary as it seemed from the ground. You sighed. You weren't sure if the island's inhabitants would offer or even allow you to grab a meal or a place to rest, if there were any inhabitants at all. You sulked as you decided to see if you could find shelter in the ruins.

You were stopped in your tracks when an otherworldly purple and blue-green streak slashed past just inches in front of your face. Shocked, you looked down to see that the trees that were in the streak's way were completely demolished.

You turned to look for the source. You saw a couple of armored baboons, but there was no way they could've caused that ominous streak. You looked around a bit more and saw a tall and lean man with a short beard, looking at you with an ornately decorated big sword in his hands. You gasped when you noticed his eyes. His eyes were a yellow-golden color that resembled a hawk's. They looked straight at you, seeming to pierce into your very soul.

You and he both stared at each other before the man finished off the baboons. You recognized him as Dracule Mihawk, a member of the Shichibukai (Seven Military Seas) and "the Greatest Swordsman in the World." You hesitated before landing a couple of feet away. Mihawk stared at you before you shifted a bit, tentatively offering him a formal bow.

"It's an honor to meet the Greatest Swordsman in the World. You have very attractive eyes." You stated.

Mihawk just looked at you, a bit surprised, while you realized that you actually said that last part out loud. You gasped and covered your mouth, just a little embarrassed and a tad worried. Mihawk found that he was amused. No one had called his eyes attractive — if anything, his eyes were referred to as intimidating, strange, scary, freaky, or any combination of the aforementioned adjectives.

"Who are you?" Mihawk asked, slashing his sword once so that the blood flew off the blade before he sheathed his black, crucifix-shaped sword.

"I'm (Your name)." You answered, pushing your hair back and straightening your posture.

Mihawk took a moment to observe you. He had sensed a powerful presence in the sky and swiped his sword as a warning, cutting everything in its path. He did not expect it to be a human, much less a woman; if anything, he thought it would be a flying creature. You were beautiful. Your (hair length and color) framed your delicate face and you had a figure most girls would kill for. Your (eye color) eyes coruscated even in the gloomy atmosphere of his island.

"What are you doing here?" Mihawk asked, crossing his arms and getting strait to the point.

"Um. Where, exactly is 'here'?" You asked, giving him a nervous smile.

"Kuraigana Island, my home." Mihawk simply answered.

"Oh. Well… I got lost." You admitted, a bit sheepishly. You looked around before asking. "By the way, why are these baboons armored?"

"They are a clever type of baboon called the humandrill. They learn by imitating humans. If they're around peaceful people, they'll learn to be peaceful. But there was a war here seven years ago. These baboons grew up watching those bloodthirsty humans and learned to wield weapons." Mihawk replied, surveying his work with apathy.

"Survival of the fittest: It's not about being fit, it's about being adaptable to change. We adapt to survive." You stated softly, looking with empathy towards the baboons.

Mihawk noticed your empathic expression as you looked at the baboons. Mihawk then made a "come here" motion with his pointer finger and you hesitatingly obliged. After all, if he attacked you with his sword, your Kaze Kaze no Mi powers would make him cut through air and you wouldn't really be harmed… right? Mihawk raised an eyebrow as you tentatively stepped over the blood and baboons that were scattered on the ground as you made your way to him.

"Why don't you fly like you did before?" Mihawk asked.

"Hm? Oh, because I'm tired and hungry. I'm trying to save energy." You answered, finally standing a foot or two from him.

"You're quite honest, aren't you?" Mihawk asked, looking at you with a hint of curiosity.

"Yup. Honesty is the best policy, right?" You asked, looking up at him with a small smile and a tilt of your head.

Mihawk was tall. You were pretty tall yourself, but still only came up to his shoulders. Mihawk found that he liked seeing you smiling. Without warning, and slightly surprising himself but coming as a complete shock to you, Mihawk hoisted you up, carrying you bridal style as he made his way towards his castle-home. You were too shocked to say anything so you settled for looking at him incredulously. Mihawk noticed your look and tried to hold back his smirk.

"You said you were tired, yes?" Mihawk asked with an easy shrug of his shoulder, as if his actions were completely normal.

You nodded. For some reason, you weren't scared at all, which surprised you. You accepted Mihawk's thoughtfulness and hospitality as he entered his castle and placed you in a sofa.

"Thank you." You murmured, drowsy.

Mihawk just made a sound of acknowledgement before going off somewhere as you closed your eyes. When you drowsily opened your eyes briefly a couple of minutes later, you found Mihawk placing a blanket over you and a pillow under your head. Too tired to say anything, you gave him a smile before falling asleep.

* * *

You were still at Mihawk's home. You had been staying with Mihawk for a while, cooking and cleaning in exchange for him allowing you to stay in his abode. You had told Mihawk about your Kaze Kaze no Mi powers and what caused you to stumble upon his island. He told you about his rivalry and friendship with Red-Haired Shanks. You found that you were comfortable around him and he found himself relaxed and at ease around you.

You were in the library of Mihawk's castle. Mihawk was sitting on a comfortable armchair reading a book. You had decided that it was time to clean the library and opened all the windows to let in some fresh air as you started dusting the shelves.

"Geeze, Mihawk. When was the last time you cleaned this place?" You asked with a scowl, up on a ladder with hands on your hips.

"I told you that you didn't need to clean this room." Mihawk responded, not looking up from his book.

"You know, instead of just sitting there, you could help me." You said with a pout, reaching over to dust the shelves. You were tottering precariously over the ladder.

"You're going to fall like that." Mihawk warned.

Just as he finished his warning, you yelped as you stumbled and fell off the ladder. Before your reflexes could kick in, you found yourself in a warm embrace and found yourself in Mihawk's arms. His eyes held a hint of worry, but his face was still mostly apathetic.

"You should be more careful." Mihawk stated, an "I-told-you-so" look on his face.

"I'm not helpless, you know. I did eat the Kaze Kaze no Mi. I could've caught myself." You said with a playful roll of your eyes, comfortably leaning your forehead in the crook of Mihawk's neck.

"But thank you." You added, smiling sincerely.

Mihawk sighed as he held you a bit tighter before eventually releasing you. You stood up strait and dusted yourself. Since you didn't have any extra clothes, Mihawk allowed you to borrow some of his shirts. His shirts were large and baggy on your petite frame, and his pants were out of the question. You managed to sew up some skirts and pants with Mihawk's hand-me downs, but they were precarious at best.

"I really need to get some more clothes that are my size." You muttered, picking at the shirt you wore.

Mihawk smirked. He'd been doing that more recently around you — showing emotions on his face. You smiled at him, glad that he was comfortable enough to be himself around you.

"You look fine." Mihawk assured, drawing you against him.

It didn't go unnoticed by either of you two how snuggly you molded against his body. You smiled as you snuggled into his embrace and he sat back down with you in his lap.

* * *

A couple of months had passed.

Despite the mutual attraction and the growing relationship between you and Mihawk, your restless nature was showing itself again. Mihawk would find you looking out longingly at the windows or by the seashore, watching the sky. He asked you about it, but you said it was nothing and brushed it off.

"Tell me what's wrong." Mihawk finally demanded one day, cornering you against a wall, both of his arms trapping you in place.

"W-wrong? Nothing's wrong." You answered, not meeting his eyes.

"Don't try to deceive me." Mihawk threatened, looking straight at you.

You gulped nervously as you hesitatingly met his eyes. He stared at you as you looked down and sighed. Mihawk leaned in closer so that his forehead was resting against your own.

"Are you tired of this place?" Mihawk asked in a steady voice.

You didn't answer, instead closing your eyes. Mihawk continued looking at your face, memorizing every detail and trying to figure out what was on your mind.

"Do you want to leave? Do you want to go home?" Mihawk asked after a moment, hints of sadness creeping through his voice. Mihawk cursed the affects you had on his control of his emotions.

Your eyes snapped open, looking genuinely shocked. You gently cupped Mihawk's face with your lithe hands, rubbing your nose affectionately against his own in an Eskimo kiss as your eyes softened with tender affection while you stared into his hawk-like eyes. Mihawk was a bit surprised at your reaction.

"Home… my home… is wherever you are." You said softly as sincerity glittered in your eyes.

Mihawk stared for a moment, transfixed. He then kissed you, lovingly and with an aching gentleness that you hadn't expected. When he pulled away, he was a man satisfied and you were sure that you were blushing more than a nun in a strip joint.

"Then I will never leave you homeless. I'm not going anywhere." Mihawk replied, taking you into a loving embrace and heading to one of the many rooms in the castle, you sighing contentedly in his arms.

* * *

"You know, it's dangerous for you to be seen with me." Mihawk protectively stated as he helped you onto the boat.

It was a lovely day and you and Mihawk were off to get supplies. You were wearing the sundress you were in when you first came to the island. You mentally made a note to get some clothes that were more suiting for you as you placed a hand on your navel absentmindedly.

"I know. I don't care." You answered nonchalantly as you hopped into his coffin-shaped raft.

"There are many who would try to use you to get to me." Mihawk said as the coffin-shaped raft took off.

"And I know that you'll protect me." You replied with a grin, stealing Mihawk's hat and wearing it.

Mihawk smirked as he pulled you down so that you were straddling him. You gave him a mock indignant look, but quickly shifted so that you were seductively running a hand down his chiseled chest and abs with a matching smirk on your own face.

"You could get hurt." Mihawk murmured against your lips, hints of worry lacing his tone.

You bit his bottom lip playfully. Mihawk growled as he finally kissed you, long and hard and filled with passion. You responded just as eagerly, smiling into the kiss, before pulling away, ignoring his annoyed look. You grinned teasingly at him before giving him a quick peck on the lips. He pulled you into his lap and you complied as he wrapped his arm around your waist and rested a warm hand on your stomach. He gave you a genuine smile.

"The heart wants what it desires, damn the consequences." You responded, returning Mihawk's smile with a beatific smile of your own.


End file.
